News + Announcements
FR Notice – 2019 Bigeye Tuna Longline Fishery Closure (July 24, 2019)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; fishery closure. SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the U.S. pelagic longline fishery for bigeye tuna in the western and central Pacific...
Contrary to Civil Beat Claims, Wespac Is Effective and Transparent
[Below is the Council’s full response submitted to Honolulu Civil Beat, including the section (highlighted in yellow) that Civil Beat redacted.] In a series of recent articles and an editorial, the Honolulu Civil Beat made several allegations against the Western...
FR Notice – Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures; Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish (June 24, 2019)
ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule establishes an annual catch limit (ACL) of 492,000 lb for Deep 7 bottomfish in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) for each of thethree fishing years 2018–19, 2019–20, and 2020–21. If NMFS projects that thefishery will reach...
The 2018 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports are now available.
Click on the links below to view each report. If you would like to see previous years reports, click here. 2018 American Samoa FEP SAFE Report 2018 Hawaii FEP SAFE Report 2018 Marianas FEP SAFE Report 2018 Pacific Remote Island Areas FEP SAFE Report 2018 Pelagic FEP...
Press Release – Hawai’i Longline Fishery for Swordfish Poses No Jeopardy to Sea Turtles, Federal Managers to Finalize Turtle Interaction Measures This Summer (27 June 2019)
HONOLULU (27 June 2019) A long-awaited final biological opinion (BiOp) on the Hawai'i shallow-set longline fishery was released today by the National Marine Fisheries Service. It shows the fishery does not jeopardize loggerhead or leatherback sea turtles. The Western...
Press Release – Fishery Managers Recommend Removing Bigeye Tuna Quota Limit for US Pacific Territories Consistent with International Provisions (27 June 2019)
HONOLULU (27 June 2019) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, yesterday in Honolulu, recommended removing the 2,000 metric (mt) annual catch limit for bigeye tuna caught by longline in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) for the US Pacific...
Press Release – Council Responds to Honolulu Civil Beat Series, Acts on Hawai’i Fisheries and Protected Species (26 June 2019)
HONOLULU (26 June 2019) The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council yesterday in Honolulu responded to the Honolulu Civil Beat's three-part series suggesting members of the Council's Executive Committee engaged in decision-making for self-profit. Vice...
Press Release – Scientists Recommend Removing Catch Limits, Increasing Allocation Limits for US Pacific Territory Longline-Caught Bigeye Tuna (20 June 2019)
HONOLULU (20 June 2019) The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded a three-day meeting today in Honolulu recommending bigeye tuna catch limits and allocation amounts for the US Participating...
HI DLNR Press Release – FOUR BOTTOMFISH RESTRICTED FISHING AREAS WILL RE-OPEN JULY 1st (June 20, 2019)
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES DAVID Y. IGEGOVERNOR SUZANNE D. CASECHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 20, 2019 FOUR BOTTOMFISH RESTRICTED FISHING AREAS WILL RE-OPEN JULY 1st (Honolulu) - Four of the 12 Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas (BRFAs)...
Spring 2019 Pacific Islands Fishery Newsletter
Click here for printable PDF.
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